


Communications

by journeycat



Category: PIERCE Tamora - Works, Protector of the Small - Tamora Pierce, Tortall - Tamora Pierce
Genre: Dogs, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-13
Updated: 2015-09-13
Packaged: 2018-04-20 12:44:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4787660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/journeycat/pseuds/journeycat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wyldon and Jump have a conversation, in their own way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Communications

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lisafer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lisafer/gifts).



> Written as a little Christmas gift for Lisa back in 2010. :)

The dog was at the practice courts again.

He was an ugly pup, to be sure, but he was also bold enough to claim a place next to Wyldon like he was entitled to it. Wyldon didn’t mind it; the pup merely watched the pages with interest and didn’t bother anyone, except to occasionally nudge his hand for a pat. When he first started showing up last month, he had searched for the owner to ask him to keep him shut away, but Daine had only smiled and said she couldn’t claim ownership, the servants had only been confused, and pages, of course, could not have pets. Eventually he had just given up and started bringing tidbits from his meal for him.

“You see that lad over there?” Wyldon said, nodding toward Genlith. “His father is my wife’s brother. The man’s a bit thick-headed, but he treats Vivenne gently and he sells his stallions’ stud services to me cheap. Genlith has a couple handsome stallions in their stables, but it’s a little known secret. The boy, though...well, he’s not terrible, I suppose.”

The dog whuffed, staring up at him attentively.

“The Bazhir, now,” Wyldon continued, “is promising. Very strong and quick. If all Bazhir fight like him, I’d have ten more.”

The two of them watched Zahir ibn Alhaz—the only one he called by his given name, because he had no idea if it was proper to call him “ibn Alhaz”—as he sparred with Disart. The other boy outweighed him by fifty pounds and was over a hand taller than him, but Zahir used his speed to match him.

Nearby, Stone Mountain was sparring with King’s Reach, locked in a deadly dance. The only difference was in their coloring; otherwise, they seemed complete equals, both nimble and strong and artless in their execution. Upon closer look, though, one could see that Stone Mountain was just a hair quicker, his blows ringing a tone louder. 

“I’d say the best page I have is that blond one, over there. Stone Mountain. He’s the bravest—”

To his surprise, the pup wrinkled his nose back to show his sharp teeth, and Wyldon heard a very quiet rattle in his throat that he realized was a growl. He frowned down at him.

“That was unnecessary,” he told him.

The dog growled again. Wyldon tried to trace his gaze, thinking perhaps there was a cat across the yard, but all he saw was Joren of Stone Mountain. _Strange_ , he thought, _and eerie. I wish Daine would keep a better hold on her animals_.

More than a little disconcerting, though, was the way the dog reacted so poorly to Joren. It was as though he understood who he was talking about, and more, he didn’t like it. Wyldon had always been of the mind that dogs could sense the truth of people—but surely they were wrong every once in awhile...

“Fine, how about that one— _Queenscove_.”

The dog snorted.

“My thoughts exactly,” Wyldon said dryly. “He’s not a bad hand with weapons, but he’d be easier to stomach if someone pulled out his impertinent tongue.”

_I’m lonely _, he thought, exasperated. _Talking to dogs and thinking they talk back_.__

__“The Girl’s proved to be surprisingly good,” he admitted. “She’ll never make it with that fear of heights, but I suppose she’d be well-suited to the Riders, once she quits—what now?”_ _

__The dog was standing up on his hind legs, his front paws propped up on Wyldon’s thigh. His head was cocked and his crooked tail wagged energetically._ _

__“What?” He glanced at Keladry, and then looked back down. “Mindelan?”_ _

__His tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth, giving him a merry expression. “You like her?”_ _

__The pup whuffed and licked frantically at Wyldon’s fingers. He grunted and pushed him off._ _

__“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you belonged to her,” he said, eyeing the girl as she landed a good one on Hollyrose’s collarbone. “But she knows she’s not allowed to have pets.”_ _

__The pup gazed adoringly up at him with his ugly face. Wyldon’s mouth twitched. “I’m sure you belong to her maid. That’s all it is.” He looked back at Mindelan, who was sympathetically patting Hollyrose on his shoulder. “Both you _and_ those blasted sparrows.”_ _


End file.
